Review of the Prevention of the Hepatitis B Virus Infection Transmission From Mother to Child During Pregnancy

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a highly infectious virus which spreads through blood and other infected fluids such as semen. Individuals can be infected with the virus through sexual contact, by sharing needles or by a needle accident, by getting a body piercing or tattooing, and prenatally or at birth, if the mother is infected with the virus. We searched medical databases (namely PubMed and Scopus) from January 2000 to January 2015. Keywords were epidemiology, transmission routes, and prevention of infection during pregnancy. On the basis of our results, the transmission of the HBV from the infected mother to her child during pregnancy is an important way for the acquisition of the virus. The routine vaccination of neonates and the use of immunoglobulin at birth are very effective for the prevention of infection, when a mother is infected. Also, the treatment of the infected mother to decrease the viral load is another preventive method for the protection of her child. Our study showed that routine vaccination in children and screening of pregnant women for the HBV infection and then preventative strategies for neonates are the most important routes for minimizing the transmission of infection from mother to child.